Social Justice Learning Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
263413373
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Inglewood, CA, USA
Phone
3239527363
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Low-Income & Subsidized Rental Housing

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,536,530
Expenses
$8,423,284
Assets
$6,940,084
Liabilities
$785,217

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • DEREK STEELE (Executive Dir.): $199,038 total reported compensation
  • MEGAN HAYWARD (DEVCOMM DIRECTOR): $140,347 total reported compensation
  • ANGELA JOHNSON (ED EQUITY DIRECTOR): $140,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI) is a California not-for-profit public benefit corporation dedicated to improving the education, health, and well-being of youth and communities of color. By empowering communities to enact social change through research training and community mobilization, SJLI works toward its vision of communities where individuals use their agency to improve each others lives.

What it reported doing in 2024

SPECIAL PROJECTS: College Persistence and Alumni Programming To house that enhanced intentional programming for our alumni, the Special Projects Program Area was created with a team to support the SJLI alumni as they navigate years 18-25. SJLI began planning for more effective and impactful efforts to support Urban Scholars alumni on their journeys in college and the workforce by connecting them to resources related to academic success, tuition, and housing. During 2020-21, SJLI developed a staffing plan dedicated to college & career persistence and alumni supportive services that would roll out in the 2021-22 fiscal year. One of the Special Projects programs, Higher Pathways, ensures that our alumni successfully reach young adulthood. SJLI has been able to facilitate workshops and retreats focused on achieving educational, career and economic growth. SJLI has hosted monthly alumni meetings, created a book club, conducted life skills sessions (financial literacy, leasing vs owning, cooking demonstrations, etc.) and counseling sessions to help each young person develop a personal success action plan. SJLI collaborates with corporations and small businesses to host career panels, provide internships and other team building learning spaces. In June 2022, SJLI hosted the first Summer Bridge program for graduating seniors to attend a weeklong series of career and personal development workshops. This included: financial literacy, resume writing, mock interviews, applying for jobs, obtaining certifications, dress for success, communication and interpersonal skills and navigating through college. Participants left with a strong sense of self, increased soft and technical skills, knowledge on how to manage personal finances, and resources to support college and career advancement. JPMorgan Chases The Fellowship Initiative, which supports Black and Latino young mens academic success in a 3 year cohort model, is another program under the Special Projects Program Area. In FY 22, SJLI successfully completed year 2 with the current cohort of 38 students. This included Saturday Academy 3 Saturdays a month where students receive tutoring, leadership development and mentoring. In April 2022, the TFI team conducted the Southern CA college tour, taking the students to Cal State University and UC University campuses.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 86% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 60
  • Accountability: 80
  • Sustainability: 22
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 79.7%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.33 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -28.9%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.82; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.1%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 20.3% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 15.4% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 21.1% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 79.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 6 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 6 filed program accomplishments · $6.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $199K · 11 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 27/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 31/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 36/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.